Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Doris Lessing Among The Guardian's "Top 100 Women"

Lisa Allardice has written anappreciation of one of my favorite authors,Doris Lessing, as part of a specialInternational Women's Day "Top 100 Women"featurein The Guardian newspaper. It's a fair enough piece, although I don't think Allardice fully grasps Lessing's disdain for the excessive and dehumanizing traits of any form of ideology – not just feminism. Also, I was disappointed that no mention was made of her interest in Sufism (something I've exploredhere). That being said, I appreciate the fact that Doris Lessing has been included in The Guardian's list of "Top 100 Women." Following, with added links, is Allardice's piece on Lessing.

On its publication in 1962,The Golden Notebookwas celebrated and reviled as a pioneering work of female emancipation. Yet, for its author it was an "albatross", misunderstood by both its critics and admirers, and Doris Lessing was to spend half a century trying to shake off the mantle of "feminist icon," often gleefully baiting the sisterhood – "some of the smuggest, most un-self-critical people the world has ever seen" – with outspoken comments about biological determinism and women needing "real men."

When she was finally awarded the Nobel prize for literature in 2007 at the age of 87, much was made of the fact that she was only the 11th female winner in the then 104 years of the prize's history. Lessing herself was characteristically dismissive: "I hate talking about literature in terms of men and women," she said. "It isn't helpful."

With more than 50 books in almost every genre to her name, Lessing is undoubtedly one of the most important writers of the second half of the 20th century –J.M. Coetzee called her "one of the great visionary novelists of our time" whileA. S. Byattdescribed her as "one of the few prophets of literature". And while she may have spent 50 years denying she is a feminist, for 50 years women [and men!] have adored her.

After an unhappy childhood in Rhodesia, she left for England at 30 with two marriages behind her and the manuscript of her first novelThe Grass is Singing, tackling the racial injustice of the country she was leaving, in her suitcase. Of her three children, she took only her youngest Peter, forever refusing to make public avowals of remorse, claiming she would have had a breakdown or become an alcoholic had she stayed in South Africa.

In her work, as in her life, Lessing was unafraid of experimentation and radical departures; her early, largely autobiographical, social realist novels making way for her science-fiction Canopus series, of which she was personally the most proud.

Her restless intellect made her an ideal, if highly subjective, chronicler of turbulent times, taking her reader through post-colonialism, communism, feminism (albeit unwittingly) and finally mysticism. She represents freedom and courage – not for women to "be themselves", as today's self-help books would have it, but to change themselves; hers is the liberation of reinvention. Feminist icon or not, she is an inspiration. When she was the guest at the Guardian Review book club she was greeted with a standing ovation, and women of varying ages in the audience testified that The Golden Notebook had changed their lives, one reader going so far as to say the novel had saved her life.

Asked what she considered her greatest achievement, Lessing replied: "I've met girls who say: 'My mother told me to read you, and my grandmother.' That really is something, isn't it."

I established The Wild Reed in 2006 as a sign of solidarity with all who are dedicated to living lives of integrity – though, in particular, with gay people seeking to be true to both the gift of their sexuality and their Catholic faith. The Wild Reed's original by-line read, "Thoughts and reflections from a progressive, gay, Catholic perspective." As you can see, it reads differently now. This is because my journey has, in many ways, taken me beyond, or perhaps better still, deeper into the realities that the words "progressive," "gay," and "Catholic" seek to describe.

Even though reeds can symbolize frailty, they may also represent the strength found in flexibility. Popular wisdom says that the green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm. Tall green reeds are associated with water, fertility, abundance, wealth, and rebirth. The sound of a reed pipe is often considered the voice of a soul pining for God or a lost love.

On September 24, 2012,Michael BaylyofCatholics for Marriage Equality MNwas interviewed by Suzanne Linton of Our World Today about same-sex relationships and why Catholics can vote 'no' on the proposed Minnesota anti-marriage equality amendment.

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"Since I discovered your blog I have felt so much more encouraged and inspired knowing that I'm not the only gay guy in the Catholic Church trying to balance my Faith and my sexuality. Continue being a beacon of hope and a guide to the future within our Church!"– Phillip

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"I grieve for the Roman institution’s betrayal of God’s invitation to change. I fear that somewhere in the midst of this denial is a great sin that rests on the shoulders of those who lead and those who passively follow. But knowing that there are voices, voices of the prophets out there gives me hope. Please keep up the good work."– Peter

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